


Enemy Mine

by RaeRaePapaya



Category: Kill la Kill
Genre: Alternate Universe, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fights, Friendship, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-16
Updated: 2014-06-16
Packaged: 2018-02-04 22:41:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1795864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaeRaePapaya/pseuds/RaeRaePapaya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Slight AU. What if Nui never interrupted Ryuko's and Uzu's match during the elections? And after the match, what if Satsuki managed to convince Ryuko to join her side in the fight against the Life Fibers?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A smirk danced across Uzu's face as he descended down the stairs to join Ryuko at the center platform for their rematch.

The fiery, dark haired girl grinned confidently, excited for their rematch as she clenched her hands into fists. "Come at me, Sanageyama! Time to finish our fight from the other day." She said to him as he stopped a few feet before her.

Her blue, gear-shaped eyes flared with determination and excitement. She could feel the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

"I ain't gonna run this time." Ryuko declared, a grin tugging at the corners of her lips.

Uzu chuckled beneath his breath, his smirk growing as he tucked his hands into the pockets of his pants. "You wouldn't be Ryuko Matoi if you did." Uzu voiced as he gazed over in her direction. "The woman who took my eyes and gave me the world." He mused, smirk tugging at his lips.

"I'm going to take you down this time!" The hot-blooded, green haired male declared as he turned his attention to Lady Satsuki. "I'm going to take the liberty of putting her down, Lady Satsuki!"

Satsuki nodded, her eyes as calm as ever. "Very well. Round four, begin." She called.

Ryuko and Uzu turned to each other, a smirk on each of their lips. "Senketsu Senjin and then Senketsu Shippu, eh? You're evolution is astonishing, Matoi." Uzu complimented her, his smirk growing. "But it's no match for my growth! Let's go!" He yelled, quickly transforming into his Blade Regalia MKII. Ryuko followed suit, pulling the red pin from her glove as she transformed into Kamui Senketsu before she and Uzu charged at each other.

"Hraaaaaah!

"Haaah!"

Their respective weapons clashed against each other before Uzu pulled back to strike again, letting out a war cry as he did so. Ryuko grit her teeth as she kept an eye on Uzu's shinai, carefully watching his movements. She raised her scissor blade to block the attack, only for Uzu and his shinai to disappear at the last second before they made contact.

Ryuko's blue eyes widened slightly in alarm, her brows furrowing as she searched the arena for any sign of the green haired member of the student council. She felt a sudden wind behind her and her eyes widened in alarm, her head whipping around to look behind her.

"A little slow today, Matoi?" Uzu teased before he moved to strike. Ryuko grunted and stepped back from Uzu, raising her scissor blade to block, only for his shinai to disappear again. The dark haired girl growled beneath her breath and Uzu's shinai reappeared right in front of her.

She cursed beneath her breath and slightly adjusted her blade, just barely able to deflect Uzu's attack, causing him to hit her shoulder. Ryuko winced just slightly before she moved to kick Uzu in the abdomen, sending him skidding back. The green haired male grunted, clutching his abdomen and looked up to see Ryuko above him, swinging her scissor blade down at him.

"Haaah!" She yelled, knocking the blunt side of her blade on top of Uzu's head. She landed on the balls of her feet in front of him and swung her blade at Uzu again, hitting his side with the blunt side blade. She pulled back again and hit her blade against Uzu's wrist before she jumped back.

Ryuko chuckled, a smug smirk dancing on her lips as Uzu tightened his grip on his shinai. "Hmm, what was it that you always yelled when you attacked in a certain patten?" Ryuko mused as she placed her finger on her chin in a contemplative manner. Her smirk grew just slightly as she turned her blue eyes towards her green haired rival.

" _Men, dou, kote_ , right?" Ryuko questioned, her blue eyes challenging.

Uzu chuckled under his breath. "Not bad, Matoi. Your form is a little off, but not bad for a first timer." He replied. "But… let me show you how it's really done." He growled at her, charging forward. In the split of a second, he was right in front of Ryuko, his shinai poised to strike. Ryuko made a move to counterattack, but Uzu intervened, his shinai knocking against her wrist and knocking her scissor blade out of her hand.

"What?!" Ryuko cursed beneath her breath as she watched her scissor blade fly out of her hands. She gasped out in pain as Uzu thrusted his shinai into her abdomen, knocking the wind out of her and knocking her off to the side.

Ryuko coughed as she rose to her feet, a gasp passing through her lips when she found Uzu in front of her. He swung his shinai at her, hitting her on top of her head, then her side, and then her wrist in a repeated cycle.

"Men, dou, kote! Men, dou, kote! Men! Dou! Kote!" Uzu yelled, each shout coinciding with the respective strike. Ryuko let out a pained gasp as she fell to her knees, coughing from the beating she just took. She pried open an eye as she looked up at Uzu, who stood above her. She chuckled under her breath and pulled on a thread in her hand.

Uzu looked behind him to see Ryuko's scissor blade flying back towards them, the thread tied to the handle of her blade and the sharp end aimed for his back. He dodged out of the way, allowing Ryuko to catch her blade and turned back towards Ryuko as she swung her blade at him.

The hit connected with Uzu's chest, sending the male backwards. He raised an arm towards Ryuko, a small gun appearing in the gauntlet by his wrist as he began to fire shinai at Ryuko.

The dark haired girl cursed under her breath as she deflected one shinai before springing to her feet. She ran around the platform, Uzu's shinai leaving a trail behind her, each one unable to land a hit on her.

Ryuko turned on a dime, changing her direction towards Uzu. She ran in a reckless pattern, dodging Uzu's shinai or deflecting it if any came in her direction. As she closed in on Uzu, she raised her blade at him, swinging as her blade clashed against his. Ryuko smirked as her weapon and Uzu's remained in a stalemate.

"You've gotten pretty good, Sanageyama." Ryuko smirked at him.

Uzu chuckled, a smirk dancing on his lips. "You have too, Matoi, but not enough." He countered, causing Ryuko to look at him in confusion. Uzu pulled one hand off his shinai, raising it towards Ryuko, the small gun appearing on his gauntlet again.

Ryuko gasped as Uzu fired a shinai against her abdomen, sending her tumbling backwards. Shakily, the dark haired girl sat up on her knees, her hands pushing her off the ground. She stopped when she spotted Uzu in front of her, his shinai gun aimed for her head. She narrowed her eyes at him, a small growl escaping her lips.

"Enough,"

Ryuko and Uzu turned to Satsuki at the top of her platform. "That's enough. The winner of this match is Sanageyama." Satsuki declared, causing Ryuko to grit her teeth as she and Uzu transformed back into their regular school uniforms.

The green haired male clicked his tongue, dropping his shinai and placing it back in its sheath on the back of his coat. "Yes, Lady Satsuki." Uzu said as he bowed to Satsuki. Ryuko eyed him curiously, noting the very faint sound disappointment in his voice before she turned to Satsuki.

"Oi, I can still fight, ya know!" Ryuko said as she rose to her feet, her brows knitting together in frustration.

"Sanageyama had you cornered. You couldn't have countered before he landed another strike on you." Satsuki explained, causing Ryuko to growl in frustration. Satsuki then turned her direction to Uzu as he straightened out from his bow. "Sanageyama, get Matoi treated for her injuries and then take her to the Student Council meeting room in thirty minutes." Satsuki said, earning an affirmative nod from Uzu.

Ryuko frowned as she looked between Uzu and Satsuki, the latter retreating into the school building. "Oi! Where do you think-" Ryuko stopped as Uzu held his arm out, blocking her from advancing towards Satsuki. The dark haired girl with the red streak in her hair glared at Uzu, her blue eyes hardening.

Uzu frowned at her before he nodded his head back towards the school building. "Come on, let's go get you treated." Uzu said before he turned on his heel, heading towards the school building as a set of stairs descended from the platform to the entrance. Uzu took one step down before checking to make sure that Ryuko was following. She rolled her eyes before following after Uzu.

\---

Ryuko huffed as she held her arm out for Uzu to bandage up. She wasn't terribly injured or bleeding, but she was pretty beat up from their battle. "So… What exactly does she want with me?" Ryuko questioned as she glanced at Uzu from her peripheral.

He remained silent, his focus on bandaging up her arm. "Oi, I asked you a question. The least you could do is answer me, damn it." She huffed at him. "What does your _precious_ Lady Satsuki want with-"

"I don't know, okay?" Uzu cut her off, frowning at her. He tied the bandage up so it wouldn't loosen before he rose to his feet. "You injured anywhere else?" He inquired.

Ryuko clicked her tongue and dropped her eyes as she placed her arm in her lap, her arm rather sore from holding it up for so long. "No," she grumbled in response. "I'm fine," she said. She looked back up to see Uzu stuff his hands in his pockets as he headed for the door. She looked at him with furrowed brows as she rose to her feet.

"Where do you think you're going?" She asked him.

Uzu glanced at her from over his shoulder. "The Student Council meeting room, remember? You need to come along too." Uzu said as he opened the door, he jumped slightly in surprise to see Mako at the door.

"I'm coming too!" Mako declared as Uzu stared at her incredulously.

He shook his head, snapping himself back to reality before he frowned at the brunette. "No, Lady Satsuki didn't say anything about you-"

"If Mako doesn't go, I'm not going." Ryuko declared defiantly as she crossed her arms over her chest. Uzu groaned under his breath.

"Alright, fine. Follow me," He said and passed Mako at the door, gesturing to the brunette and Ryuko to follow him.

\---

Satsuki sat down in her chair, setting her tea down as she turned to Ryuko, who was sitting between Mako and Uzu on his couch. "From today onward, you'll be working with us, Ryuko Matoi." Satsuki said, causing the others to look at her in a slight surprise.

Ryuko stood to her feet, her brows furrowing. "Hold on! Why the hell should I work with you?!" Ryuko yelled. "You still haven't told me what you know about my father's death-"

"Nui Harime," Satsuki interjected, causing Ryuko to eye her suspiciously.

"What?" Ryuko asked.

Satsuki sipped her tea before setting it back down. "The one who killed your father, her name is Nui Harime." Satsuki elaborated.

Ryuko clenched her fists, her eyes dropping to look to her shoes. "Why?" Ryuko inquired, looking back up at Satsuki. "Why did she kill my father?"

"You'll find out eventually." Satsuki replied as she looked up at Ryuko. Satsuki then turned her attention to Houka, who nodded and turned to his laptop, pressing a few buttons when an image of a woman with white hair dressed in white clothes appeared on the screen behind Satsuki. Everyone turned to the screen projection as Houka spoke up.

"This is the CEO of Revocs Corporation, one of the chairs of Honnouji Academy's board of directors, and Satsuki's mother, Ragyo Kiryuin." Houka informed.

Ryuko placed her hands on her hips as she looked at the image, her face contorting in displeasure. "What of it?" Ryuko asked.

"What I'm about to tell you is something only a select few know of. I need your word that you will work for me, otherwise you and your friend are free to leave, Matoi." Satsuki said, her blue eyes glancing over at Ryuko.

"You still haven't told me all about my father's death, have you? If I work with you, what's in it for me?" Ryuko asked, her eyes narrowing.

"You'll surely meet your father's killer if that is what you want to know," Satsuki replied.

Ryuko glanced between Satsuki and Mako before nodding. "Fine, I'll join your little group." Ryuko declared.

Satsuki nodded and turned back to the image of her mother on the screen. "The sole purpose of this school was created to defeat my mother. I've taken on my father's wishes and I will use all that I can to defeat her," Satsuki said, turning back to Ryuko and the others. "For now, the details aren't important. For now, we'll continue on as we always have, obediently following the director's orders."

The girl with the long dark hair rose to her feet. "Can I count on all of you to proceed as planned?" Satsuki asked, looking down at her allies. The Elite Four rose to their feet and bowed.

"Yes, Lady Satsuki!" They vowed as Ryuko looked at them in confusion.

"Hold on, I still don't know what's going on," Ryuko spoke up.

"It's fine, we'll inform you as we go along. For now, Sanageyama," Satsuki called, turning her attention to the green haired male. He straightened from his bow and looked towards her. "You'll be in charge of Ryuko." Satsuki ordered.

Ryuko turned to Satsuki, the former's brows furrowing slightly. "Hey, hold on a minute!" the short haired girl yelled.

"You'll act as advisor to the Athletics Club, meaning you'll be Sanageyama's right hand man." Satsuki explained. "For now, we prepare for the raid trip, just as before." Satsuki said, sitting back down in her chair as Soroi handed her another glass of freshly made tea.

Satsuki turned to the Elite Four. "Inumuta, check up on Iori to see how production of the new uniforms is going. Gamagoori, Jakuzure, I'll need a full report on all the clubs a few days from now, just to see how everything is progressing." Satsuki said, earning an affirmative nod from the three members of the Elite Four.

She then turned her attention to Uzu. "Sanageyama, Matoi will be joining your squads during the raid. If necessary, make adjustments to the squads." Satsuki ordered as she crossed one leg over the other.

She sipped from her tea, a soft sigh passing through her lips. "Dismissed," she said before turning back to her tea.

 

TBC.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2:_

Uzu tapped his foot impatiently as he stood at the doors outside of his gym. His focus turned between the squads training inside, to some of the other athletic clubs that were doing warm ups outside or running laps, and to the school entrance. He groaned under his breath as he turned back to the squads that were training inside.

"Tch, that damn girl is late..." Uzu grumbled under his breath. He turned his attention back to the squads that had just finished their drills, they stood still, waiting for Uzu to give the next order.

"Again!" he ordered. The students nodded and went through the drills again, the sweat just noticeable on their brows.

He cursed under his breath and turned around when he heard footsteps behind him. "You're late," Uzu grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

Ryuko rolled her eyes in response. "Big deal, Mako and I woke up a little late. I'm here now, what do you want, oh, esteemed athletics club committee chair?" Ryuko drawled out, her blue eyes rolling at her words.

Uzu handed her the spare clipboard and checklist in his hand, causing Ryuko to look at him in confusion before she looked down at the checklist, her eyes skimming over its contents.

"For now, just get those done before second period is over and then report back to me when you've finished." Uzu said, turning back to the students inside his gym.

"Hey, hold on!" Ryuko complained as she grabbed at Uzu's sleeve, turning the green haired male back towards her. He looked down at her curiously as she continued speaking. "All of this?" Ryuko asked in disbelief, gesturing to the paper in her hand.

The dark haired girl turned back to the paper, her brows knitting together in frustration. "It says I have to record the times of all the members of the track team, collect the javelins used in today's training and store them back in the equipment closet, record the distances of the discus team, and then check with Iori about progress on the new track suits!" Ryuko said.

Uzu quirked a brow as he smirked slightly at her question. "Is that too much for you, Matoi?" He chuckled at her, causing Ryuko to frown at him. He looked over at her list, pulling a pen out of his pocket. "Fine, cross out the one about checking with Iori about the track suits, that's Inumuta's job anyway." Uzu said, handing her the pen. She took it from his hand, sending a glare in his direction as she crossed out what he had told her to.

"Still too hard for you, Matoi?" Uzu teased, pocketing the pen.

"It's unreasonable if you want it done before second period." Ryuko almost growled at him, a frown on her lips.

The green haired male mentally rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest.  
"Listen here, Matoi, I take pride in how I run my clubs. I've trained them to basically do all the work themselves." He said, nodding over to the track team that was currently running laps. Ryuko followed his gaze, her eyes landing on the track team.

Uzu directed her attention to a pair One-Star students that were standing off to the side of the track. One student held a clipboard while the other was holding onto a stopwatch. "Those two are basically doing you're job. You just need to walk up to them and ask for the times. Boom, that's one job done." He said and then turned her attention to the field where some of the other track and field clubs were training.

"The Discus club is already recording their distances as we speak. Ah, and over there in that barrel are the javelins that you have to painstakingly collect and move into the equipment closet. If it's too heavy for you, you could always ask one of the other students to help you." Uzu teased as he turned back to Ryuko, a smug grin on his face.

"Or is that still too much for you, Matoi?" Uzu question, his smug grin growing.

Ryuko growled at him as she roughly shoved his pen back into his hand. "I'll go check up with Iori." She said through grit teeth before she turned on her heel, departing for the school building. Uzu chuckled as he stuffed his pen into his pocket.

"Don't get lost," He called to her.

\---

Ryuko grumbled incoherently under her breath as she strode down the hall, her clipboard held tightly in her grip. "Stupid jackass... thinks he can send me off to do his stupid, mundane tasks..." The dark haired girl practically growled under her breath.

She turned down the hall to find Uzu's private room in the gym, allowing him to overlook and watch clubs in the gym from the privacy of the room. With a huff, she pulled open the door without bothering to knock. She walked inside, Uzu merely glancing over in her direction from over his shoulder.

"How did you know where to find me?" Uzu inquired from his spot on his couch, kicking his feet up on the table.

Ryuko tossed her clipboard onto Uzu's stomach, causing him to grunt and sit up from discomfort. "I asked around." She said, nodding her head to the clipboard he had collected from his stomach. "There are your stupid reports," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Good work," Uzu complimented, tossing the clipboard onto the table as he leaned back in his couch.

"You didn't even look at it." Ryuko pointed out, her brows furrowing in frustration.

"Didn't need to. I know my clubs are progressing."

"Then what was the point of having me go collect the reports?"

"I still need something to turn to Inumuta. Speaking of which, did you ask him or Iori about the track suits?" Uzu inquired.

Ryuko nodded, jerking her chin over towards the clipboard. "Iori said they're progressing rather well. At the rate he's going, he'll have them finished on time." Ryuko reported.

Uzu nodded, grinning over at Ryuko. "Good work, Matoi. You're certainly obedient when you need to be," he commented, causing Ryuko to glare at him.

"The hell are you implying by that?" Ryuko asked him, reaching for her scissor blade.

"Calm down, I'm just havin' a little fun." Uzu said as he put his feet back down on the floor and stood up. "I've never had an advisor before so I figured I have a little fun with it, ya know?" Uzu teased with a grin.

Ryuko shot a glare at Uzu as he reached for the water bottle on the table. "Don't look at me like that, here." He sighed a little and tossed the water bottle to Ryuko. She caught it, her eyes flicking between Uzu and the water as the green haired male approached her. "Good work today, Matoi." He complimented and patted her on the shoulder before he brushed past her.

"Come on, Lady Satsuki called for you." Uzu said, stepping outside into the hall, Ryuko following after him.

\---

"Truth be told, I was merely using you." Satsuki said as she turned from Aikuro to Ryuko.

The dark haired girl with the streak in her hair practically growled as she took a step forward, cracking her knuckles in the process. Uzu frowned at his advisor and placed his hand on her shoulder, preventing the fiery girl from taking another step.

"What the hell!" Ryuko shouted, her glare bouncing between Uzu and Satsuki.

"I was using you to improve the Goku Uniforms, nothing more. If you wish to take your anger out on me fine, but only after we have completed our objective." Satsuki furrowed her brows at the younger girl.

Ryuko growled under her breath and grudgingly calmed down. She shrugged off Uzu's hand as Satsuki continued. "In the meanwhile, I've managed to convince your friend to join up with us." Satsuki shared, gesturing over to Aikuro who stood beside her.

The blue haired male laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced over at Ryuko and Uzu. "Turns out Lady Satsuki had known the entire time. Looks like I wasn't really doing my job correctly if she had figured me out so easily." Aikuro laughed, his voice raspy as part of his persona. He slipped his glasses off, pushing his hair back in the process as he dropped his _homeroom teacher_ facade. 

"Though, I do suppose this means that we'll have to keep this a secret as well?" Aikuro asked as he turned from Ryuko to Satsuki.

The president blinked momentarily and shook her head, not quite expecting Aikuro's sudden change in persona. "Uh, yes. That would be for the best." Satsuki cleared her throat and turned to Ryuko and Uzu.

"That'll be all for now." Satsuki said, dismissing the athletic club chair and his advisor before turning back to Aikuro. "I need to discuss some things with Mikisugi, for now, you two will go back to preparing for the School Raid." Satsuki said, glancing at the pair from the corner of her eye.

Uzu nodded, managing to get Ryuko to nod cooperatively as well, before the two of them left the room.

\---

Uzu let out a yawn, stifling it slightly as he shoved his hands into his pockets. Ryuko shot him a small glare as she continued to trudge behind him, following him to wherever the hell he wanted her to follow him.

"Where the hell are we going?" Ryuko finally asked.

Uzu turned his head toward her, quirking a brow just slightly before he turned back to face forward. "You seem a little riled up, Matoi." He noted sarcastically, turning down the next hall.

Ryuko stumbled and followed after him. "Of course I am! You guys are keeping me in the dark! Five minutes ago, your precious _Lady Satsuki_ just told me that I was basically your guys' play thing!" Ryuko snapped at him, her blue eyes narrowed at him.

The green haired male suddenly stopped in his tracks and Ryuko nearly bumped into his back. She looked up at him, her face a mixture of frustration and confusion, as the male turned his head to look at her.

He quirked his brow at her. "Are you done complaining?" He inquired, suppressing the urge to smirk when he heard Ryuko growl at him. "You've got your scissor blade on you, right?"

Ryuko eyed him curiously before nodded, placing her hand on the black pouch on her hip. "Yeah, it's right here." She mumbled, patting the black pouch. Uzu nodded his head to the gym that they were standing in front of, much to Ryuko's surprise. She didn't realize that they had walked that much distance in such a short time.

"How about a spar, Matoi? You look like you could blow off some steam, and I suppose it's a little gift from me for bein' such a good girl today," Uzu teased her, a smirk breaking out on his lips.

Ryuko smirked at him as she pulled her scissor blade out, allowing it to grow to its original size. "Hm, sounds great, Sanageyama." Ryuko said as she strode past the green haired male and walked into the gym.

"Captain," Uzu spoke up just as Ryuko had crossed the threshold.

The dark haired girl stopped in her footsteps and turned to look back at Uzu, her brow raised curiously. "Huh?" She inquired.

"Captain." Uzu repeated with a grin as he turned to her, his arms crossed over his chest. "I think you should call me 'Captain' from now on, I am your superior after all."

Ryuko flushed and shot him a glare. "Don't push your luck…" She huffed at him before she dropped her eyes to the ground. "C-Ca-Cap-" She stopped as soon as she heard the snort pass through Uzu's lips. She looked up at him, shooting him a glare, her cheeks darkening in color.

"Don't laugh, damn it!" She yelled at him, her cheeks red.

\---

Uzu draped his arm over the back of his couch, drumming his fingers against the fabric of the couch. A small breath passed through his lips as his free hand went to adjust the green jacket of his combat-spec uniform. It was a little weird wearing something that wasn't his Three-Star uniform, but for now, this would suffice.

He glanced behind him to see Ryuko, standing rather dutifully and obediently behind him. Albeit, her arms were crossed over her chest and her face told him that she had better things to be doing than to be there with him.

Still, she was here and keeping her opinions to herself. Uzu called that progress.

The green haired male then directed his attention over to Satsuki as she asked the Elite Four to give their reports.

“Athletic Committe squads 1 through 11, preparations complete. Assigning to Osaka Raid Trip Brigade.” Uzu reported.

Jakuzure turned her attention to Satsuki. “Non-Athletic Committee squads 1 through 18, preparations complete. Assigning to Kyoto Raid Trip Brigade.” Jakuzure said.

"The Disciplinary Committee is more than sufficient for the Kobe Raid Trip Brigade." Gamagoori said, turning his attention to Satsuki.

Uzu smirked. “Being an elite corps is all well and good, but don’t fail,” Uzu piped up, his smirk dancing on his lips.

"I have formed an Information Strategy Team with the PC club at its core, using two-star students from the Information Systems class." Inumuta said, zipping open his collar so he could speak. "The information network in each city is already under our control. We’re monitoring all communications in the high schools of each city." he said.

Satsuki sipped her tea slowly before she looked over her shoulder to look at the screen behind her. “Iori, are the special uniforms ready?” She asked as Iori was projected onto the screen.

He nodded. “Yes, milady. Development of Anti-Osaka, Anti-Kyoto, and Anti-Kobe Combat-spec Goku uniforms are complete. They are being distributed to the Raid Trip Brigade as we speak. As for you Elite Four, new Three-star Goku uniforms are currently being made for all of you. However, owing to the fact that final adjustments will take some time, you will have to set out with the same special Goku uniforms as the other students.” Iori explained as the Elite Four looked at the combat-spec uniforms that they were already wearing.

"Matoi, on the other hand," Iori spoke up, directing everyone's attention to the fiery girl in the room. "Will be just fine in Kamui Senketsu, she has no need for the uniform unless you want her to wear one, Lady Satsuki?" Iori inquired.

Satsuki shook her head. "No, her Kamui will suffice." Satsuki said, turning her attention to the blonde on the screen. Iori projection was soon replaced with playbacks of Ryuko's battle with the Elite Four during the natural elections. "Your uniforms, as well as Sanageyama's, have been improved based on your battles with Matoi. Look forward to them," Satsuki shared as she turned back toward the Elite Four and Ryuko.

“You will mature further. It is merely a rite of passage. And now I look forward to your maturation as commanders. Lead the Raid Trip Brigades to victory!” Satsuki shared.

"Understood!" The Elite Four and Iori said as they saluted Satsuki.

Satsuki stood to her feet, her hands resting on her Bakuzan. “Very well, the Raid Trip is set to leave at 0200 hours the day after tomorrow. You’re dismissed.”

\---

Ryuko sighed as she leaned back in her seat beside Uzu, the other students in the rows behind them as they chattered amongst themselves. She crossed her arms over her chest, her gaze moving to look out the window as the vehicle shook gently as it moved along the terrain.

Her blue eyes flicked over to look at Uzu, her lips pursing together as she did so. "What's the plan of attack?" Ryuko asked with a roll of her eyes, deciding to make some small talk for the sake of having something to do. "If there is one at all." She added quietly.

Uzu turned to her, mimicking her posture. "Stick close to me and follow my lead," Uzu told her.

Ryuko raised her brow as the vehicle came to a stop. She turned and looked out the window as Uzu tapped her knee gently, the male rising to his feet. "Let's get started, Matoi." He called to her as he exited the vehicle, followed by the other students.

She followed after them to find Uzu already in front of Takarada's army. The green haired male stood front and center, his hands tucked into his pockets and his athletic clubs behind him.

"I'm surprised you came, slime of Honnouji Academy!" Kaneo Takarada, the eccentric male on the screen, taunted. "You may have thought you were hot stuff in Kobe and Kyoto, but you're not so tough here in Osaka!"

Uzu smirked as Ryuko came to stand beside him, her scissor blade slung over her shoulder. "Brought a mere girl with you? Are you really that desperate to defeat me that you ask for the aid of a single girl?" Kaneo taunted.

Ryuko growled, her grip on her scissor blade tightening. Uzu held his arm out in front of her in a placating manner before he reached behind him to place his hand on his shinai. "This _girl_ is Ryuko Matoi, and you'll do well to remember her name." Uzu shared as he pulled his shinai from it's sheath. 

"She and I will be all that is needed to defeat the likes of you." Uzu called to the male, causing Ryuko to look at him in a slight surprise.

"Is that so? Alright, people, let 'em have it!" Takarada ordered. Ryuko and Uzu turned their attention back to Takarada's army that stood before them as the sound of something being loaded filled their ears. Suddenly, shots were fired in their direction and Ryuko and Uzu pulled their respective weapons in front of them.

Simultaneously, the pair deflected the attacks. The two remained unharmed while the rest of their forces took the hits head on. Uzu gripped his shinai tighter, his head turning slightly toward Ryuko. "Guns?" He asked her.

The dark haired girl shook her head, looking down at the paper money that had fallen to her feet. "Bills. They're shooting wads of cash at us." Ryuko reported as she turned to Uzu.

Takarada's forces started shooting again and Uzu pulled Ryuko to him. Takarada’s forces opened fire again and Uzu slung his shinai over his shoulder. “Armed Ping Pong Club, step forward!” He yelled, and the club members moved in front of him, using their oversized ping pong paddles as shields. “As well as the Sumo Club! Sumo Stomp attack!” He ordered and Sumo club did as ordered, the ground quaking beneath their feet and causing Takarada’s men to lose their footing.

"Armed Archery Club and Armed Track Club! Ultra long range squads! Salvo attack!" Uzu yelled, pointing his shinai in the direction of Takarada’s men. An onslaught of projectiles flew at Takarada’s army, knocking them to the ground. "Now! Storm the school building!" The green haired male ordered. His men charged forward, running for the school’ entrance.

"Over my dead body! Force ‘em back!" Takarada ordered as a new wave of soldiers came through the school entrance, pushing back Uzu’s men.

"You can withstand Goku uniforms?" Uzu asked in disbelief as his and Takarada’s troops got into a stalemate.

"The Kiryuins ain’t the only conglomerate around here! Don’t underestimate the might of the Takarada Conglomerate’s money!" He yelled as he pushed Uzu’s forces back, all the way back into the city.

Uzu grit his teeth, his hold on Ryuko's arm tightening just slightly. The dark haired girl turned to Uzu,as she awaited his orders. "Come on, Matoi, it's our turn to attack." Uzu ordered as he tightened his hold on his shinai. Ryuko nodded as she followed Uzu into the city where their forces were fighting.

"We should've done that from the beginnin'! I'm just sayin'!" Ryuko said to the green haired male, earning a small grin from him.

\---

"Haah!" Ryuko yelled as she swung her scissor blade, knocking aside a few of Takarada's men. Behind her, Uzu did the same, knocking a few enemies aside with a simple swing of his shinai. The two backed up simultaneously, their backs bumping against each other. Ryuko chuckled slightly as she glanced over her shoulder at the green haired male donning the green combat-spec uniform.

"Not bad, Sanageyama. You seem to function pretty well without your precious Goku Uniform." Ryuko taunted as she turned to face forward again, knocking aside a few enemies that had jumped at her.

"It's _Captain_ ," Uzu grunted as he swung his shinai, knocking down a few more of the enemies on his side. "And I suppose that I should be saying the same, considering that you haven't even transformed into your Kamui." Uzu noted with a light smirk.

Ryuko grinned in response. "These losers aren't worth the effort!" She grunted, knocking aside another set of the peons. Uzu grinned at her words when the radio in his collar buzzed. He pulled it to his face, directing his attention towards Ryuko.

"Oi, switch with me." He called to her.

The dark haired girl shot him a surprised look before they spun and swapped places. Ryuko knocked aside a few of the enemies that had jumped at her while Uzu spoke into the radio. "...Most of the Kinman High students have been dealt with." Uzu reported as he knocked aside a few enemies that had almost jumped into Ryuko's blind spot. "Tell Lady Satsuki that Osaka will be under our control soon." 

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Ryuko and Uzu turned to see Takarada before them, appearing as grandiose as ever. " “Buddy, you’re underestimating my power. The students aren’t my only pawns!” He declared as he threw more of his cash into the air. Suddenly, a handful or regular civilians emerged from behind Takarada, grabbing at the money greedily before they landed between Uzu and Ryuko and Takarada. They all whipped out guns and began shooting at Uzu, Ryuko, and their men.

Uzu and Ryuko quickly deflected the bills that came flying in their direction. "You're making the common masses fight, you bastard?" Uzu yelled 

"I am indeed," Takarada replied, sounding quite proud of himself. "But it’s not quite accurate to call them common masses. They’re all Combat Citizens who have been blinded by money. They’re all itching to fight…" Takarada warned as more waves of "Combat Citizens" appeared behind Takarada.

Ryuko and Uzu grit their teeth as they eyed the masses that had collected behind Takarada, each one holding their own loaded gun.

"Don't injure them," Uzu whispered to Ryuko as he tightened his hold on his shinai.

The dark haired girl nodded, switching her hold on her scissor blade so that she would be attacking with the blunt end of her scissor blade. "Well I wasn't going to…" Ryuko mumbled in response as she looked around them, finding them surrounded by Takarada's men. "What are we going to do? We're kind of surrounded…" Ryuko said as she turned to Uzu.

The common masses started firing again, some of them charging at Uzu and Ryuko from behind. The pair deflected the bullets as Uzu spoke up. "Cover me, Matoi!" He ordered. Ryuko nodded and moved in front of she and deflected the attacks aimed at her and Uzu. The green haired male turned around to direct his attention to the people that had come running at he and Ryuko.

He deflected their attacks and disarmed them, destroying their weapons in the process. He knocked them back, not enough to injure them, but just enough so they struggled to get back up to their feet.

Ryuko mimicked Uzu's action, disarming the civilians and destroying their weapons in the process. Takarada's men paused in their attacks, seeing how Ryuko and Uzu were able to knock them aside without much effort. Ryuko turned back to Takarada, sending a glare at him. She swung her scissor blade, creating a large whirlwind that blew back his men, not injuring them and leaving Takarada stranded against Uzu and his forces.

"Ready?" Uzu inquired as he moved back to stand beside Ryuko, his shinai slung over his shoulders. The dark haired girl nodded as Takarada suddenly pressed a button he had hidden in his coat. The ground beneath them crumbled as Takarada was swallowed up by his coat. Two golden pincers appeared and tore through the male's coat, tearing it to shreds and revealing Takarada inside a giant, golden, mechanical crab machine.

“Say hello to my anti-Honnouji Academy mechanized weapon, Dotonbori Robo!” Takarada yelled, the pincers of his mechanical crab snapping as he spoke.

Ryuko bit back her snickers at the sight of the ridiculous machine. "Pfft! What the hell is that! It's so ridiculous!" Ryuko said, a few of her chuckles breaking through.

Uzu smirked at her laughter. "How incredibly tacky," Uzu commented.

"Oh? You can tell even without your eyes?" Takarada asked.

Uzu scoffed. “Yes. I can sense it by aura alone - the smell of your overblown arrogance.” He said. Takarada attacked, swinging down one of his massive golden pincers at Ryuko and Uzu. The pair jumped out of the way and landed a safe distance from the crab machine. “Club members! Guard Matoi! Archery! Javelin! Discus! Shot put! Everyone else!” Uzu ordered as he landed beside Ryuko.

She turned to him, raising her brow curiously. "Think I can't fend for myself, Sanageyama?" She inquired, watching as the clubs did as they were told.

The green haired male sent the girl a small smirk. "Not at all, I think you're perfectly capable of doing such a thing. It's just an extra precaution, I wouldn't want to lose my precious advisor, now would I?" He replied with a smirk. The girl flushed as she and Uzu turned back to Takarada only to find missiles coming at them.

The pair cursed as the missiles exploded in front of them. When they opened their eyes they found the Gamagoori in front of them, shielding them from the explosion. Gamagoori rose to his feet and Ryuko immediately noticed that he was dressed in a brand new Goku uniform. "As long as Ira Gamagoori draws breath, I will not allow any harm to befall students of Honnouji Academy!" Gamagoori yelled as he stood to his full height.

"G-Gamagoori…" Uzu mumbled in surprise. He and Ryuko turned around to see Nonon and Houka as well, both of them donned in their new white and gold Goku Uniforms.

"Ah, what's wrong, wild monkey? Too busy flirting with your advisor to pay attention to the battlefield?" Nonon spoke up, a smirk on her lips.

"The Kobe and Kyoto School Raids have finished up, though you still seem to be struggling, Sanageyama." Houka spoke up.

Uzu opened his mouth to make a retort when a wind started up, directing the group's attention toward the sky. Above them was a helicopter, Iori inside of it.

"Catch, Sanageyama!" Iori yelled from above. The blonde pulled on a lever and a dresser fell from the helicopter, the dresser fell towards the group. Uzu smirked as he climbed up Gamagoori, using the large male to leap up towards the dresser to retrieve his new uniform.

"Just what I've been waiting for!" Uzu said as he stood atop the dresser as it crashed to the ground, the male dressed in his new Blade Regalia MKIII.

Takarada sent a glare in Uzu's direction as Uzu jumped to the ground to stand beside Ryuko. "What's with the cheapo hero show crap?" Takarada taunted.

Uzu tightened his hold on his shinai. "Spare me the commentary. You face Uzu Sanageyama of the Honnouji Academy Elite Four and Ryuko Matoi!" He yelled, pointing his shinai at Takarada. Uzu nodded his head toward Ryuko, capturing her attention. "Matoi," He simply said to her. She nodded in reply, and ripped the pin from her glove as she synchronized with Kamui Senketsu.

The pair lunged forward, attacking Takarada at the same time. "Haah!" Ryuko yelled as she swung at Takarada.

"Men! Dou! Kote! Men! Dou! Kote!” Uzu yelled as he repeatedly swung at Takarada, each hit landing on the Dotonbori Robo. Takarada grit his teeth, firing more gourd missiles at Uzu, only to have them knocked away by Uzu and Ryuko.

Uzu jumped at Takarada again, landing a hit on Takarada. Uzu stopped and landed behind Takarada, only for the machine to drop a brownish paste over the green haired male. "Sanageyama!" Ryuko called out as she jumped at Takarada, slicing at the male in the machine as Uzu was coated in the brown paste.

"Wh-What the hell is this?!" Uzu yelled before he was coated by the paste entirely.

"That there is crab paste slime! Once you get it off you, it never comes off! You ain't moving anymore!" Takarada said as he pinned down Ryuko, trapping the girl beneath his two large pincers. A small canon like contraption appeared from the machine and set Uzu ablaze from his crab paste mold.

Ryuko let out a small gasp as she saw the paste set ablaze. "Sanageyama!" She yelled as she struggled to free herself. She turned her attention back to the crab machine that was pinning her down. "Get off of me!" She yelled as she freed herself, slicing the machine as she stood to her feet. 

The girl's attention turned back to the paste, her brows knitting together. "Capt-" She stopped short when she saw Uzu reappear behind Takarada, his shinai knocking the machine aside.

"Did you really think your crab paste could coat me? Don't underestimate me! Tsuki! Tsuki! Tsuki!" Uzu yelled, thrusting his shinai against the machine until it shattered from the force of Uzu's attacks, the machine exploding in the process.

Ryuko and Uzu transformed back into their regular uniforms. The smoke from the explosion cleared and the Elite Four members and Ryuko found Takarada, only to be stopped by Satsuki. The leader pressed the sheath of her Bakuzan against the defeated male's face. "You don't value anything but your own life, do you?" Satsuki asked.

"Looking down on me again, huh? You must be feeling pretty good right now," he said as Satsuki just faintly increased the pressure of Bakuzan on his face. "But this isn’t over! Osaka’s all about tenacity and conviction."

Satsuki furrowed her brows as she continued to look down on Takarada. “That is exactly my intent. My target here is not you.” She said, glaring down at him. “Do you think I would commit a force of this size to fight mere students?” She asked.

Takarada bit his lip. “Wait… You’re aren’t serious!”

Half a second after, the ground beneath them exploded, sending debris flying every. Nonon emerged from the debris, flying in her Symphony Regalia MKII. "Lady Satsuki!" Nonon chirped as she flew above Satsuki. "I've destroyed the Nudist Beach headquarters as per your orders!" the pinkette reported.

Satsuki nodded, turning to her friend. "Well done," the dark haired girl complimented as Gamagoori took a hold of Takarada.

Ryuko turned her attention to Satsuki, her brows furrowing together in anger. "What?! You attacked them?" Ryuko hissed.

"Sanageyama," Satsuki intervened, calling for the athletic committee club chair to control his advisor. "We're pulling back. All students are to return to Honnouji Academy." Satsuki ordered as she turned to leave.

Ryuko grit her teeth as she took a step toward Satsuki. "You're a backstabber, Kiryuin! You told us that we were allies and you went and -" Ryuko stopped when Uzu clamped his hand over the fiery girl's mouth. She cursed against his hand as she tried to pry the green haired male off of her.

Uzu pulled the girl to his side, moving his lips close to her ear. "I'll explain later. We can't risk certain people hearing, ya know?" He whispered as he tugged the girl with him to head back towards the car, his forces following behind him.

\---

Ryuko drummed her fingers on her arm, her arms crossed over her chest. She sat beside Uzu, a frown on her lips as the vehicle shook against the terrain as it took them back to Honnouji Academy. "Are you going to talk now?" Ryuko finally spoke up as she turned her head toward the green haired male beside her.

Uzu let out a small sigh and turned to her, waggling his finger as he gestured for her to come closer. The dark haired girl raised a brow at his action, but complied anyway and scooted closer to him.

"Lady Satsuki and Mikisugi both agreed that it would be best to not raise any suspicion that we've joined forces. It would make the director suspicious and cautious, and we don't want that. We want to strike when the director's guard is down. Mikisugi allowed Jakuzure to sneak in and attack the base." Uzu whispered to Ryuko. "His forces were evacuated so no one was hurt. Jakuzure made sure to not deal too much damage so as to not cripple his forces, but deal enough damage that it looks like he may struggle to make a come back." The green haired male elaborated.

The dark haired girl huffed as she leaned back in her chair, sending a glare towards Uzu. "It wouldn't have killed you guys to let me in on the plan." She grumbled and turned her attention back towards the window beside her.

"The less people know, the better. That way, it doesn't make the plan obvious, ya know?" Uzu voiced as he leaned back in his seat as well, his hands stuffed in his pockets. Ryuko didn't respond, instead keeping her attention solely on the window and everything outside the window. He let a small grin appear on his lips as he gently nudged the girl with his elbow. "Aw, come on. Don't be like that, Matoi." He chuckled, amused with her child-like behavior.

She still didn't respond and instead turned more of her body away from him. He wasn't quite sure, but Uzu was almost positive that the girl was struggling to not smile.

The green haired male let out a soft sigh as Ryuko spoke up. "So what's the plan when we get back? If you want to tell me…" She inquired.

Uzu grinned at her softly. "We need to prepare for the Honnouji Academy Cultural and Sports Grand Festival," He told her.

Ryuko turned to him in surprise. "What? Already?" She huffed as a heavy sigh passed through her lips. "Damn, Kiryuin's got you guys worked to the bone. I don't think I've ever seen you guys relax either." She grumbled as she turned away.

Uzu shrugged. "Eh, I don't mind." He said before grinning at the dark haired girl a silence enveloping them. "So _Captain_ , huh?" he spoke up, breaking the silence

Ryuko flushed and turned back to Uzu. "H-Huh?!"

The green haired male's grin grew. "You called me _Captain_ earlier when we were fighting Takarada," He laughed at the girl's red cheeks.

"I-I don't remember saying that!"

"No need to be embarrassed, Matoi, it'll be our little secret."

"Like I said, I didn't c-call you that!"

Uzu chuckled as he relented and raised his hands in a placating manner. "Alright, fine. Whatever helps you sleep better at night, Matoi." He relented, chuckling and grinning at the girl. Ryuko huffed, her cheeks dusted red as she turned away from Uzu, her eyes directed back out the window.

 

TBC.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3:_

Ryuko frowned as she looked down at the students inside the gym, each one of them training in sync and to their best efforts. She leaned back alongside Uzu, the two of them simply sitting on the couch in his private room that overlooked the gym. A small huff passed the girl's lips and Uzu turned his head toward her, his brow quirking curiously.

"Something wrong, Matoi?" he inquired.

"Yeah," Ryuko said and turned to Uzu. "You told me that we were supposed to prepare for the school festival, but ever since we got back, we've been sitting on our asses," Ryuko spoke up.

Uzu pursed his lips. "Would you rather be working?" He asked.

"No, but I'd like to do _something_ instead of just sitting around all day." She grumbled and kicked her feet up on the table, her posture very similar to Uzu's current one.

The green haired male turned his full attention to the dark haired girl sitting beside him. "What would you like to do then, Matoi? Wanna spar or something?" He suggested. The corner of Ryuko's lip twitched upward at hearing his suggestion. She bit her lip and turned her head away from Uzu as her cheeks dusted a fair shade of pink.

"N-No," The girl lied.

Uzu grinned lightly as he stood to his feet, tucking his hands into his pockets. Ryuko watched him with curious blue eyes as he walked over the door, stopping just before he crossed the threshold and entered into the hall. He turned back to her, nodding his head toward the door. "Come on. I thought ya wanted to spar, Matoi." He teased as a smirk creeped onto his lips.

Ryuko stood to her feet and followed Uzu out the door and into the gym. "Oi!" Uzu yelled as he got to the ground floor where all the trainees were. "Clear out! I need to use the gym!" He ordered. Ryuko watched with slight amazement as the trainees cleaned up and cleared out of the gym in a little over five minutes. When the last student had left the premises, Ryuko turned to Uzu.

"Wow," She mumbled, a small smirk on her lips. "You Elite Four and Kiryuin must really love to throw your weight around." She teased with a smirk as she followed him to the center of the gym.

Uzu chuckled at her as he pulled his shinai from its sheath, pointing the tip of the shinai at Ryuko. "You get used to it," He replied with a smirk. Ryuko stepped back, creating a distance between she and Uzu before she pulled her scissor blade from her pocket, the weapon growing to its original size.

She pointed her scissor blade toward Uzu, the pair getting in position to strike as they brought their respective weapons closer to their body.

"Hey!"

Uzu and Ryuko stopped short before they could actually move, a heavy sigh passing through both of their lips simultaneously. Uzu turned his head toward the door where Nonon was standing, her baton in her hand. "What is it, snake?" Uzu called to her as he slung his shinai onto his shoulder.

The pinkette placed one hand on her hip, her other hand waving her baton over in Uzu's and Ryuko's direction. "I sure hope that I didn't cut your date short," she called over with a teasing undertone. "Lady Satsuki is returning to Honnouji soon, just letting you know." She said, a small smirk appearing on her lips as her pink eyes flicked between Uzu and Ryuko. 

The green haired male sheathed his shinai. "Got it, we'll be right over." He told the pinkette. Ryuko put her scissor blade away, reducing its size as a small, disappointed frown appeared on her lips.

\---

"Welcome back, Lady Satsuki." The Elite Four greeted, Ryuko mumbled it incoherently under her breath, causing Uzu to grin faintly. 

Satsuki stepped down from the helicopter and began walking into Honnouji Academy. She nodded toward them as she continued on, the Elite Four and Ryuko following after her. "You did well in the Tri-City School Raid Trip." Satsuki complimented over her shoulder.

"How did it go with the director?" Houka inquired.

"She was pleased with our results." Satsuki mused. "She has also decided to pay a visit to Honnouji Academy." She shared.

Uzu raised his brows in surprise. "Then-" he didn't have a chance to finish when Satsuki spoke up again.

"Yes, it's time at last." She said, stopping just before she reached the peak of her tower that overlooked the heart of Honnouji Academy. "I'll be counting on you fou- five." Satsuki corrected herself at the last minute as her eyes met Ryuko's. The Elite Four nodded to their queen while Ryuko furrowed her brows slightly as Satsuki turned back around, her attention on the heart of Honnouji Academy.

"Students of Honnouji Academy! You all did well in the Tri-City Raid. We eradicated the dens of the Kansai forces and anti-clothing guerrillas and completed our mission." Satsuki said. Ryuko grit her teeth, still rather upset about the staged betrayal and Uzu placed his hand on the girl's shoulder to calm her down and hold her back just in case she did anything reckless.

Honnouji Academy began to change and alter itself in appearing, turning into a vast stadium. "For that reason, we will welcome Honnouji Academy Director Ragyo Kiryuin, and in the Ragyo Stadium that bears her name, and we will hold a grand ceremony!" Satsuki declared. 

"Welcome the Director by putting forth all the energies that you have stored up within you! This is Honnouji Academy Cultural and Sports Grand Festival!"

\---

Ryuko stood off to the side, leaning on the wall of the gymnasium as Uzu gave orders to his athletic club members, directing them in what they had to do to help prepare for the Grand Festival. He dismissed them and the students scrambled about, getting to work on the tasks that they had been given.

The green haired male sighed softly as he scratched the back of his head. He turned toward Ryuko and the girl pushed herself off the wall as Uzu walked over to her. He handed her another checklist, similar to the one that he had given her on her first day working with him.

"Need these done by a certain time?" She asked as her gear-shaped, blue eyes looked over the list.

Uzu shrugged as he put his hands in his pockets. "Nah, take your time if you need to. There's no rush." Uzu replied as he walked off, waving at her from over his shoulder. "If you need any help, let me know." He called to her as he left the gymnasium, leaving her in there by herself.

\---

Ryuko grunted lightly as she adjusted the heavy boxes in her arms. Carefully, she rose to her feet but stumbled backward due to the added weight in her arms. She blinked in surprise when she felt a hand on the small of her back, steadying her.

She turned around to find Uzu behind her, his hand still on her back. He raised a brow at her. "Workin' hard, I see. Need any help there, Matoi?" Uzu offered as he rounded her, grabbing a few of the heavier boxes from the girl's arms.

The dark haired girl let out a soft, quiet sigh of relief as some of the weight was lifted from her arms. "Ah, thanks." She mumbled gratefully. The green haired male sent her a small grin.

"Need these to go somewhere?" Uzu inquired, gesturing to the boxes in his arms.

Ryuko gave him a slight grin. "You told me to move these to the stadium, remember? They were for the confetti cannons." She replied. "But no worries, I've got it. You can put the boxes back on the ground and I'll come back to them later." She said to him as she turned to leave the room.

Much to her surprise, she saw Uzu follow after her, the boxes still in his arms. "I don't mind helping, besides, I've finished most of my work." He said as he walked beside the dark haired girl.

She nodded gratefully and they walked in silence until Ryuko spoke up again. "It can't be a coincidence that you saw me when you did…" Ryuko hinted as she peeked up at Uzu. She saw him grin just slightly as a small chuckle passed through his lips.

"You're right there." He chuckled. "I came to check up on you to see how you were doing. I hadn't heard from you in a couple of hours so I wanted to see how my advisor was doing," Uzu shared, a small grin on his face.

Ryuko rolled her eyes, a small grin of her own appearing on her lips. "Well, I'm fine, there was no need to check up on me. But thanks anyway," She mumbled the last part and Uzu began laughing.

"Whoa, you actually said _thank you_! Are you dying or somethin', Matoi?" He laughed teasingly. "You're not supposed to yet! We haven't had our rematch and you're supposed to fall before my bamboo sword!" He laughed at her. Ryuko flushed and glared at the male beside her before she kicked at his ankle, the male letting out a yelp of pain amidst his laughter.

\---

Ryuko breathed out a sigh as she sat on a bench that was beneath a shady tree. She leaned back, her head tipping back as her eyes fluttered close.

"Oi,"

Uzu's voice snapped Ryuko out of her trance and her eyes fluttered open. As she opened her eyes, she felt a cool water bottle press against her cheeks, sending a shiver through her body. "Here," Uzu said. Ryuko pursed her lips and gratefully took the water bottle from Uzu, opening the lid so she could sip from the bottle.

The green haired male sat down beside her, a soft groan passing through his lips before he sipped on his own water bottle. "So, I've been thinking about the Tri-City Raid." Uzu spoke up as he capped his water bottle and placed it beside him on the bench.

Ryuko turned to him, rubbing the back of her hand over her mouth as she set her own bottle down. "And?"

He shrugged, his hands making its way into his pockets. "The battle has just been playing over in my mind is all, but I have to admit, we kind of worked well together." Uzu shared as he turned his attention toward the dark haired girl beside him.

The dark haired girl pursed her lips as she thought back to when they had fought together against Takarada in Osaka. "Yeah, we did…" Ryuko said, turning back to Uzu. he grinned at her in agreement and Ryuko returned the gesture before they turned away from each other.

\---

"All preparations to welcome my mother are now complete. I appreciate all your hard work." Satsuki said as each member of the Elite Four, Iori, and Ryuko received a small drinking glass.

"Ma'am!" They replied, except for Ryuko who merely mumbled it under her breath.

Satsuki raised her glass. "And so, let us toast to the success of the Cultural and Sports Grand Festival!" She toasted as they all downed their drinks. When they were all done, they raised their glasses once more before throwing it onto the floor, shattering it.

Satsuki released a small breath as she strode past the group, heading for the exit. The others followed behind their queen, Uzu and Ryuko being the last pair to leave.

"What was that whole thing about?" Ryuko inquired as she turned to leave alongside Uzu.

"Just a little ritual. Lady Satsuki isn't sure if the plan will be successful so it was kind of like a final toast of sorts," Uzu replied as he placed his hands in his pockets.

Ryuko pursed her lips, her blue eyes skimming over to look at Satsuki. "Hn, you guys sure are pessimistic, aren't ya?" She shot at Uzu, a smirk appearing on her face.

Uzu chuckled at her and shrugged. "I suppose it's better safe than sorry, ya know?"

\---

Ryuko looked down at the white Goku Uniform in her hand that Uzu had given to her just before the ceremony.

Uzu sighed softly as Ryuko continued to eye the outfit oddly. "Just put it on, okay?" Uzu requested as Ryuko looked up at him, ready to ask questions. Before the girl could get her first question out, Uzu cut her off.

"You don't need to wear it the entire day. Lady Satsuki just wants you to have a matching uniform like the rest of us. It kind of looks suspicious when you're the only one not wearing a Goku Uniform." Uzu explained to her.

The dark haired girl frowned at the Goku Uniform. "Don't worry, it's not an actual Goku Uniform. It just looks like one. You can wear your Kamui underneath if you really have to." Uzu told the girl.

Ryuko rolled her eyes and nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Fine." She mumbled and left to go change, Uzu waiting for her in the hall. Maybe after ten minutes or so, Ryuko emerged from the changing room, donned in her borrowed Goku Uniform. 

The basis of her uniform was styled similarly to a regular school uniform, with the sailor top and pleated, white skirt. Her top was cut off at the midriff, similar to how Senketsu was styled, and her neckerchief was red. She had red suspenders on, similar to Senketsu's style, only she had three black Goku stars on the front of her belt, similar to the placement of spikes on Uzu's belt. Her coat was similar to Uzu's, the only difference being that there weren't three stars on the front of her coat.

The girl looked down at herself, a frown on her lips. A sigh passed through her lips as she looked up at Uzu. "Well?" She grumbled, gesturing to herself.

Uzu turned to her, his arms crossed over his chest. "Y-You look great," He said and turned to leave. Ryuko flushed at his words before she sent a glare at the back of Uzu's head.

"Hey, hold on! How can you even tell? You're blind, remember?" Ryuko asked as she caught up to Uzu, tugging on his sleeve.

The male flushed as he turned his head toward her. "I-I can just tell based on your aura, okay?" He grumbled and freed himself from the girl's grasp. She bit her lip but nodded nonetheless as she followed Uzu out the door so the festival could begin. He stopped short of the door, causing the girl to almost bump into his back.

He turned back to her and pulled her close so he could whisper in her ear. "Do you remember the plan?" He asked. Ryuko bit her lip, feeling Uzu's breath fan over the area by her neck and ear. 

She nodded. "Yeah," she murmured, grateful that Uzu had filled her in on the plan this time. Uzu pulled back to nod at her before the two of them moved to join the others outside.

"Attention all students and family of Honnouji Academy!" Satsuki called from her tower, grabbing the audiences attention. "We have succeeded in the conquering of all the nation’s academies! All the fools who dared to oppose our Goku Uniforms have been eliminated! Today is a celebration of those accomplishments! Eat and drink your fill! Praise the Kiryuin name!" Satsuki announced from her tower, the Elite Four and Ryuko behind her. 

"The Honnouji Academy Cultural and Sports Grand Fesitval begins now!"

The band started up and the students started the parade, the audience also began to eat the foot catered to them until Satsuki interrupted them, signaling the arrival of the Academy Director.

"And now, what you all have been waiting for. Let us offer a welcome with the utmost respect. I present to you this academy’s director, Director Ragyo Kiryuin!" Satsuki announced.

A brilliant rainbow light emitted from the tower, taking over Satsuki’s brilliant one. The rainbow light shrouded over the entire stadium before it concentrated at Satsuki’s tower and after a puff of smoke, Ragyo Kiryuin revealed herself, a wave of applause sounding from the audience.

Satsuki stepped down from her tower to make room for Ragyo as the latter walked down the aisle, the Elite Four and Ryuko bowing to her and stepping to the side to make room for her.

Ragyo nodded, her eyes flicking over where the Elite Four and Ryuko were standing. "I see you've added a new friend to your group, Satsuki." Ragyo said, turning back to her daughter.

"Yes, I added her to the student council this year. She acts as advisor to the Athletics Club Committee Chair." Satsuki explained. “On another note, that was grand an entrance as one would expect from our director,” Satsuki commented as her mother approached.

The director nodded again before she ascended up the stairs to take Satsuki's place on the tower. "A ruler must shine like the sun at all times." She replied.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I put a question to you." Ragyo said as she looked at the audience. "What is the world? The world is clothing. Life Fibers are the ruler of this world. I, Ragyo Kiryuin, know and carry out their will! Honnouji Academy was created for just that purpose. The weak will serve as the foundation for what is to come. You should consider that an honor," she said, her dazzling light emitting all around the stadium.

A button rose from the small area just before Ragyo’s feet. “Now, let the celebration begin!” She said and pushed the button. Suddenly everyone in the audience was consumed by their clothes, each person letting out a fearful yell. Ryuko watched in horror as the people continued to get swallowed up by their clothes.

Before she could move, Uzu placed his hand on her arm, holding the fiery girl back. She looked up at him, her eyes wide. Uzu subtly shook his head and Ryuko dropped her gaze and returned to his side, her hands balling into fists.

Silence took over the stadium, signaling that all the people had been consumed by their clothing. Not another sound was heard until Ragyo spoke up again.

"Such wonderful silence… The cacophony spewed forth by the foolish creature known as humanity fades away, and nothing but tranquil fibers will fill the world." Ragyo said as she basked in the silence.

Uzu turned his head slightly as he registered the sound of metal hitting against the wall of the stadium. Ryuko noticed his gaze and turned to look where he was going. Much to her surprise, Tsumugu and Aikuro had emerged from over the wall of the stadium, wearing a robotic suit similar to what Takarada had used back in Osaka, but more toned down.

"We're putting an end to this, Ragyo Kiryuin!" Aikuro yelled as he and Tsumugu landed on the platform in front of the tower. Tsumugu dismounted from the robotic suit, aiming his gun at Ragyo.

Ragyo turned her attention to the surprise guests. "Satsuki, I thought you told me that you destroyed all the anti-uniform guerrilla-" Ragyo choked on her words as Satsuki plunged Bakuzan through the Director's back, the blade emerging through the woman's chest cavity.

"Looks like I missed a few, Director." Satsuki replied.

The woman peered down at the blade. "What are you playing at, Satsuki?" Ragyo choked out, some blood spilling past her lips.

Satsuki glared up at the woman as she dug her blade further into Ragyo, causing the woman to spit up blood. Satsuki lifted the woman while she was still attached to the blade and threw her onto the four-point star statue nearby, pinning Ragyo to it as blood rained down before them.

The queen of Honnouji glared at the Director as the Elite Four, Ryuko, Aikuro, and Tsumugu gathered behind her. "As of this moment, Satsuki Kiryuin and Honnouji Academy are in a rebellion against you!" Satsuki declared. "I, Satsuki Kiryuin, am rising up to overthrow Life Fibers! Honnouji Academy is the fortress I created in order to defeat you!"

\---

"Matoi, you're with me." Satsuki ordered as her eyes flicked over to the dark haired girl. Ryuko nodded affirmatively as Satsuki's eyes flicked over to the other side of the stadium.

"Leave it to us, Lady Satsuki." Gamagoori said as he and the rest of the Elite Four moved to go greet their _new surprise guest_ , each of them transforming into their new Regalias.

Tsumugu and Aikuro stepped up. "We'll evacuate the civilians." Aikuro said as he and Tsumugu departed.

Satsuki nodded gratefully as Ryuko appeared at Satsuki's side. Ryuko tore off her Goku Uniform, revealing Senketsu that she had been wearing underneath.

Ragyo looked down at the girls in amusement. "Oh, I'm surprised that I didn't recognize you before." Ragyo mused, an amused smirk on her bloodied features. "You must be Ryuko Matoi."

Ryuko narrowed her eyes at the woman as she brought out her scissor blade. "And that uniform you're wearing… That must be Kamui Senketsu, the last of Isshin Matoi's last, futile efforts. I must say, I didn't expect it to be so beautiful." Ragyo shared.

The dark haired girl with the red streak in her hair narrowed her eyes at Ragyo. "How do you know-" she stopped when Satsuki gestured for her to stop.

"Don't let her rile you so easily." Satsuki told the younger girl.

\---

"Ah, I know you!" 

Ryuko and the others stopped as the large TV in the stadium turned on, showing a cute blonde girl with large pigtails and donned in pink, and an eyepatch on her left eye. Ryuko turned around, finding the girl in pink on the ground not too far from where she was on the platform with Satsuki and Ragyo.

"M-Me?" Ryuko asked, narrowing her eyes at the blonde haired girl.

The girl nodded a smile spreading on her lips. "Yes, you! I know you from somewhere… though I'm not quite sure where I remember you from…" The girl mused in a sing-song voice, placing her finger on her chin in a contemplative manner.

The girl blinked in surprise, her smile growing. "Ah, yes! Now I remember!" She said as she reached into her pink dress and pulled out a purple scissor blade, similar to Ryuko's. The girl twirled it about her arm, before she grabbed the handle and pointed it at Ryuko, a smile appearing on the mysterious girl's lips. "I pulled this from your dad!" She said with a giggle.

Ryuko's eyes widened before she narrowed her eyes at the blonde. "You… Nui Harime…" Ryuko hissed, her voice dripping with venom.

The blonde girl, Nui, smiled and nodded. "Yup! That's me! The one who killed your dad!" She chirped. Ryuko growled at her, her hand tightening around her scissor blade.

"You bitch!" Ryuko yelled as she jumped down from the platform, the pin on her glove popping off as she synchronized with Kamui Senketsu.

Satsuki turned to Ryuko in alarm. "Matoi, wait-!" Satsuki called, turning her attention back to Ragyo as she dodged an attack from the older woman. "Sanageyama!" Satsuki ordered to the green haired male.

Uzu turned away from the multiple clones that Nui had produced earlier. "Right!" He replied and turned back to the remaining members of the Elite Four. "I'm leaving this to you," He told them as he headed to Ryuko's side.

\---

"Matoi!" Uzu called as he rushed to the girl's side. Ryuko let out a battle cry as she swung at Nui, the blonde blocking the fiery girl's attack with ease.

Nui knocked Ryuko back, sending the girl flying. Uzu jumped up catching the girl in his arms. He landed far from Nui, not liking the feeling he was getting from the girl. He held Ryuko close to him despite the girl struggling in his hold. "Stay out of this, Sanageyama!" She hissed as she tried to push herself free from Uzu's grasp.

"Rushing headlong into this fight won't do you any good, Matoi!" Uzu yelled at her, struggling to keep the girl in his arms. "You need to calm down, that's an order, Matoi!" Uzu told her. Ryuko frowned, sending a glare towards Nui as she finally ceased her struggles.

"Let me go." Ryuko said as she exhaled deeply. Uzu glanced toward the girl and nodded. He set her down on her feet and Ryuko sent another glare towards Nui, sending daggers at the petite blonde. The dark haired girl tightened her hold on her scissor blade. "What's the plan?" Ryuko asked.

Uzu let out a shaky breath as he adjusted his hold on his shinai. "I don't know… But whoever this girl is, I don't like this feeling that I'm getting from her…" he shared.

Ryuko furrowed her brows at him. "Then I'll just fight my way!" Ryuko yelled as she charged forward. Uzu reached out to her, only for the girl to slip from his grasp.

"Matoi, wait!" He called to the girl as she engaged herself in battle with Nui. Uzu growled under his breath as he followed after Ryuko, his shinai in hand.

\---

"Stand aside!" Satsuki yelled as she knocked Rei Hououmaru out of the way. Satsuki charged down the long walkway at full speed. "Your head is mine!" Satsuki yelled, using her light to reflect light into Ragyo's vision.

Satsuki lunged at Ragyo, slicing her blade at the woman's neck as she landed behind the woman. Her blade was lined with blood as Ragyo's head fell from her shoulders. Satsuki stood to her feet as blood rained down once more. "It is finished." Satsuki murmured.

Her eyes widened suddenly as she turned to the sky, her brows furrowing in concern as she heard someone call her. She looked around but found nothing. "… I was just imagining things?" She uttered, not seeing anything in the distance.

"It is you that is finished, Satsuki."

Satsuki turned around, a gasp escaping her lips as she found Ragyo's decapitated head speaking to her. Ragyo's body came up from behind Satsuki, knocking the girl aside before her body went to retrieve her head. "As long as a single thread remains, my body is able to regenerate itself." Ragyo shared as she looked down at her daughter, a smirk appearing on her lips.

"It seems even your Bakuzan wasn't able to sever it."

A choked gasped passed Satsuki's lips as Ragyo grabbed the girl by her neck, lifting her off the ground before she punched her, knocking the girl to the ground. 

Shakily, Satsuki rose to her feet, Bakuzan quivering in her grip. "I've had enough of your garbage!" Satsuki yelled as she attacked. She gasped as her Bakuzan snapped against Ragyo's fist. The older woman punched Satsuki in the gut, causing the girl to cough up blood.

"You're little scheme has given me no end to entertainment, but I think it's about time for you to return Junketsu." Ragyo said, eliciting a pained scream from Satsuki.

\---

"Hraaaah!" Ryuko screamed as she swung at Nui, the blonde girl blocking her attack with ease. Uzu came up behind Ryuko, ready to aid his advisor. He raised his shinai to strike the blonde girl.

"Hup!" Nui said as she knocked Ryuko back, sending the girl flying into Uzu's chest. Uzu grunted and wrapped his free arm around Ryuko as the pair flew back, Uzu landing on his back as he protected Ryuko from taking any additional damage.

Nui reappeared in front of the pair, her scissor blade raised to strike the pair. Uzu pulled Ryuko closer to his chest, gritting his teeth as he pivoted slightly, shielding Ryuko with his body as he deflected Nui's attack with his shinai. He rolled out of the way, creating a distance between he and Nui.

When he deemed that it was safe to check, Uzu eased his hold on Ryuko, looking down at the girl in his arms. She groaned in his hold, cradling her head. "Geez, what the hell happened to us apparently working well together? You mentioned it the other day, didn't you?" Ryuko asked as she looked up at the male.

"Shut up, I'm working on it, alright? But you keep rushing in headlong and fighting recklessly!" He scolded. He sighed under his breath. "Are you alright?" He asked as he set her to her feet. She nodded and turned back to Nui. 

Much to the pair's surprise, they found Ragyo standing in front of them, the woman clad in Junketsu. Nui appeared behind the woman and moved to attack, only for Uzu to intervene. He blocked her attack and Nui jumped away, a smile on her face. 

Uzu turned back to Ryuko. "I'll handle the girl, you take on the Director." Uzu ordered before he jumped to where Nui had landed, engaging in combat with the girl.

Ryuko moved to go after Uzu. "Hey, she's my fight, Sanageyama!" Ryuko stopped in her tracks when Ragyo held an arm out to Ryuko, blocking the girl's path. A wicked grin appeared on Ragyo's face.

"Listen to the young man, Ryuko Matoi. Your fight is with me." Ragyo said as she swung at Ryuko. The younger girl blocked Ragyo's attack with her scissor blade. When she moved to attack, a pained gasp passed through her lips as Ragyo plunged her hand into Ryuko's chest. The older woman pulled her hand out, holding onto Ryuko's heart as she pulled it out.

A strangled gasp passed through Ryuko's lips as she looked at her heart, sparkling in a way similar to Life Fibers. Ragyo smirked down at the frightened girl. "Ryuko Matoi, you are one whose body has merged with Life Fibers, just as mine has." She spoke, looking down at the beating, gleaming heart in her hand.

"All this time, you were the daughter I believed to be dead." Ragyo mused. "Very few humans are merged this perfectly with Life Fibers. Truly, you are my daughter."

Ryuko growled at the woman and slashed at her with her scissor blade, only for the woman to release Ryuko's heart and jump out of the way. Ryuko panted as her heart returned to her chest, the opening healing up as though nothing had happened. The dark haired girl frantically placed her hand over the area where the opening had been earlier.

"You!" Ryuko cursed at her as she looked back up at the white haired woman. Ragyo turned on her heel to head back to the platform.

"Nui, take care of this, would you?" Ragyo requested as she turned her head toward the petite blonde.

Nui looked over mid-block, able to fend off Uzu without looking. "Oh! Sure thing!" Nui said as she leapt over to Ryuko. Uzu cursed under his breath and followed after the blonde as she began to attack Ryuko. Uzu paused in his tracks, sensing something unusual in the atmosphere. He looked up, finding Covers in the sky as far as a person could see. The male cursed under his breath again when a scream pulled Uzu out of his trance.

He looked back over to see the Covers descending from the sky, absorbing people into the clothing. "Don't just stand there, Sanageyama!" Gamagoori barked as he, Inumuta, and Jakuzure passed the green haired male. "We need to get these people to safety! Mankanshoku is already guiding the people to safety!" Gamagoori said.

Uzu nodded, biting the inside of his lip when he turned back to Ryuko. The dark haired girl nodded toward him before she turned back to Nui, blocking the blonde's attack. "Go! I'm okay!" She yelled back. Uzu nodded and moved to aid the rest of the Elite Four members.

He leapt up, cutting a civilian free from the threads that had attached to them. He caught the civilian, helping them to the ground safely. "Go, quickly!" He ushered and turned back to see what other people needed help.

Another scream grabbed Uzu's attention and he turned to see Mankanshoku being pulled up by the Covers. He cursed under his breath as one of the Covers pinned him down. "Mako!" Sukuyo, Mako's mother, screamed in horror.

Ryuko turned around at the sound of her best friend's name being called. "Mako?!" Ryuko looked on in horror as she spotted her friend suspended up in the sky by the Covers. "Mako!" Ryuko yelled. 

Nui giggled as she rose her scissor blade to strike. "Bad choice, Ryuko-chan! You should've been paying attention to me!" Nui chirped as she slashed at Ryuko.

The dark haired girl let out a pained yell as she was thrown into the air by Nui's attack, the blade cutting through Senketsu and shredding the Kamui into pieces.

"Matoi! Matoi!!" Uzu screamed as the girl's nude body hit the ground hard. He cursed as he knocked the Covers off of him and hurried to Ryuko's aid.

In the distance, Gamagoori emerged from the crowd, leaping up to save Mako. "Mankanshoku! Cut the thread! Escape, Mankanshoku!" Gamagoori yelled, reaching out for the panicked brunette. A pair of Covers jumped out of nowhere and grabbed onto Gamagoori, pulling him back down to the ground. "Mankanshoku!!" Gamagoori yelled as the Covers swallowed up Mako.

Uzu roared as he swung his shinai at Nui, the blonde girl leaping away quite the distance. A smile danced on her face as she landed. "Oh my, such anger!" She giggled as Uzu snarled at her words.

"Get any closer to her and I'll kill you, you bitch!" Uzu snarled, tightening in his grip on his shinai.

"How bothersome, you should really stay out of business that isn't yours!" Nui hummed.

Uzu grit his teeth. "This girl is my responsibility! Anything that happens to her is my business!" He yelled at the blonde. An explosion appeared in the gap between he and Nui, separating the two from sight. Uzu looked around frantically as the stadium started to explode.

Quickly, Uzu turned around and rushed over to Ryuko's side. He picked up Ryuko, holding her close to protect her from the explosions around them. With his free hand, he picked up the scattered pieces of her Kamui. He gripped the pieces of her Kamui tightly in his hand as he held Ryuko close before hurrying for the nearest exit, her safety being his first concern.

\---

A frown appeared on Uzu's features as he looked down at Ryuko. His white Goku Uniform coat wrapped around Ryuko's nude figure, the pieces of Kamui Senketsu stuffed into his pockets. He held the girl tightly in his arms as he continued walking.

To where, he wasn't sure.

"Sanageyama,"

Uzu looked up to find the remaining members of the Elite Four, Iori, Soroi, Mako's parents, Aikuro, and Tsumugu before him, all waiting at the edge of town. Aikuro hurried over to Uzu's side as they noticed Ryuko, unconscious, in his arms.

"R-Ryuko-kun!" Aikuro said as he looked down at the girl. "Is she alright? What happened?" Aikuro inquired as he turned his attention to the green haired male.

"I think that she's alright. Nui beat her and cut up her Kamui in the process." Uzu said and handed Ryuko over to Aikuro. He reached into his pockets to pull out the blue cloth before he waved Iori over. "These are all the pieces, do you think you could put him back together?" Uzu asked as he handed the Kamui over to the blonde.

Iori nodded. "Yes, I think so, although I'll have to manage with what little Life Fibers we have." Iori said, pocketing the Kamui pieces. Uzu nodded and turned back to Aikuro, opening his arms up to hold Ryuko once again.

Aikuro blinked in surprise, but handed Ryuko over to the green haired male nonetheless. "Are you sure you want to keep holding her? I'd imagine that you've been holding her for quite some time. We're quite far from the Academy, Sanageyama." Aikuro noted.

Uzu shook his head. "I'm fine." He assured the group, adjusting Ryuko in his arms.

Aikuro nodded. "Very well. For now, I believe it would be best for us to retreat and build up our strength for now. Not to mention that Ragyo more than likely released more of those monsters around Japan. We should try to rescue as many people as possible,"

The former blue haired teacher turned to leave, turning to the others as Tsumugu went on ahead. "We have a car not too far from here. We'll retreat to Nudist Beach headquarters for now,"

 

TBC.


	4. Chapter 4

_ Chapter 4: _

Uzu let out a heavy sigh and turned around to see the struggle within the Covers cease, the suits spitting out the weapons that his fellow former gang members had used to buy he and the civilians time to escape. He bit the inside of his cheek, his hand tightening into a fist.

It was too late to go back, the helicopter was already making its way back to Nudist Beach headquarters. And stopping the helicopter would only put more lives at risk.

The green haired male turned to his side, seeing Gamagoori appear beside him. "We managed to save more lives than expected. Their sacrifices weren't in vain." Gamagoori said, handing the green haired male a black Nudist Beach uniform. Uzu took it gratefully, looking up at the large male.

"No sign of Mankanshoku yet, huh?" Uzu inquired. Gamagoori shook his head, looking a little crestfallen. Uzu patted the his friend's arm in a comforting manner. "We'll find her." Uzu reassured him.

Gamagoori nodded, grateful for Sanageyama's words. "Thank you, Sanageyama. I needed to hear that."

\---

"Show the people we rescued to the living quarters!" Gamagoori ordered as he, Uzu and the rescued civilians had made it back to the headquarters. Uzu released a sigh as he tied his new headband to his person.

"Good work," Jakuzure spoke up as she walked over to Uzu and Gamagoori. The petite pinkette had also changed into the black Nudist Beach uniform, once her Goku Uniform had stopped working. Same with Gamagoori and Inumuta. "Looks like you guys had it rough, too." The pinkette commented.

Uzu nodded when Ryuko, also dressed in the Nudist Beach uniform, and Mataro, Mako's younger brother, came around the corner, joining Jakuzure.

"Oh, is that Mankanshoku's little brother?" Gamagoori asked as Uzu rounded the group to walk over to Ryuko.

Jakuzure nodded. "Yup. The transfer student and I found him and his friends living in the sewers under Honnou Town." Jakuzure informed them, looking down at the brunette. "They're an impressive pack of rats." She added.

Ryuko chuckled in response as she turned to Uzu, just in time to see the male grin at Jakuzure's words. He turned back to Ryuko, flashing her the same grin. "Good to see you up and on your feet." He told her. "How have you been holding up?" Uzu asked, Ryuko watching as Jakuzure, Gamagoori, and Mataro left the area.

She gave a small smile and turned back to Uzu. "About as good as I can be." Ryuko said with a shrug. "It's a shame that I couldn't help out more with the rescue missions. Any luck finding Mako?" The dark haired girl inquired, crossing her arms over her chest.

Uzu shook his head. "No sign of her yet, but even if we did see her, it's not like we could've done anything to save her. We would've needed that weapon that Iori is working on or we would've needed you." Uzu told her. "And don't worry about the missions, Matoi. You took quite the beating beforehand and you needed your rest." Uzu reassured as he looked down at her.

"I take it that Senketsu hasn't been put back together yet? Since you're still wearing the Nudist Beach uniform," he inquired, the uniform covering her more private areas with conveniently placed straps and holsters.

"Yup, still wearing it..." Ryuko mumbled as she turned back to Uzu, her cheeks dusted red. "How can you even tell though?" She inquired.

The green haired male shrugged nonchalantly. "I can just tell, Matoi." Uzu answered. 

Ryuko gave him a slight smile before she turned to leave. "I'll talk to you later, I'm gonna go check up on Mako's family to see how their doing." The dark haired girl said as she waved at Uzu from over her shoulder,

Without really thinking, Uzu's hand shot out, grabbing onto Ryuko's hand, stopping the girl. He turned her back to face him, her brow quirking at the green haired male curiously. Uzu bit his lip, realizing that he really had grabbed onto her for no reason. With quick thinking, he voiced the first thing that popped into his head.

"A-Are you sure you're okay?" Uzu asked, silently releasing a breath of relief.

That first question could have gone worse.

Ryuko eyed him oddly, cocking her head to the side. "I'm fine, Sanageyama." She insisted and turned back around. Uzu squeezed his hand tighter around Ryuko's as he turned the girl back to him. He furrowed his brows together, a slight frown forming on his lips.

"Matoi," he began, hinting that he could tell that she wasn't being entirely honest with him.

She groaned and rolled her eyes. "Geez, I'm fine, Sanageyama! Who are you? My mo-" she stopped short, biting her lip. She averted her eyes, her brows knitting together.

A soft sigh passed Uzu's lips as he scratched the back of his head with his free hand. "I'm sorry, I'm sure that's a sensitive topic with you." He grumbled to her after a long moment of silence.

The dark haired girl shook her head. "It's whatever, I'll get over it. There's no need to tiptoe around me." She told him. She bit her lip, shuffling her feet as her cheeks dusted red. 

"I-I... Th... Thanks, for the concern..." She stammered out, her cheeks flushing in color. "I-I-I s-suppose..."

Uzu flashed the girl a grin and squeezed her hand lightly. "No problem." He said with a chuckle. He pursed his lips before another grin appeared on his lips. "Hey, how about a quickie?" Uzu asked, his grin growing.

Ryuko turned to him, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. "Wh-What, here? Now?" She asked, still a little surprised by his suggestion. 

Of all times to suggest it, he figured now would be a good time to so?

The green haired male shrugged his shoulders. "Well, not _here_ , per say. We could find some place a little more private..." He suggested.

Ryuko pursed her lips, contemplating his offer. It did sound tempting... And she did need a way to release all of her pent up emotions somehow. She turned back to the green haired male and nodded. "Fine, but only a quick one." 

Uzu's grin grew. "Awesome, you've got your scissor blade on you, right? I found a place out back where we could spar." Uzu said, pulling the girl along.

\---

The dark haired girl yelled, swinging her scissor blade at Uzu. The green haired male grinned, moving Bakuzan Gako, which he had borrowed from Gamagoori, to block the girl's attack. He dug his heels into the ground as he forced Ryuko back before swinging the sword to strike at her.

Ryuko ducked out of the way and slipped close to Uzu, bashing the handle of her scissor blade into Uzu's gut. The male grunted as he stumbled backward. Regaining his balance, he kicked his heel toward Ryuko.

She blocked his kick and pushed him back. Uzu jumped back as Ryuko advanced on him, their blades about to clash.

"Sanageyama! Matoi!"

The pair stumbled to a stop. Unable to come to a complete stop, Ryuko tripped over Uzu's foot and fell onto the male, the pair falling backwards to the ground. The dark haired girl flushed as she pushed her face off of Uzu's chest as she and the green haired male turned to look at who called to them.

The pair found Jakuzure and Gamagoori standing by the entrance back into the building, the latter giving them a disappointing glare. "Sanageyama, this is what you used Lady Satsuki's sword for?! Playing around?!" Gamagoori boomed.

"You weren't using it!" Uzu tried to defend. Ryuko rolled her eyes as Jakuzure spoke up.

"Well, I certainly hope that we didn't disturb you two lovebirds on your little getaway." Jakuzure spoke up, causing Ryuko and Uzu to flush. "If you two are done, we've got trouble out in front and we could really use all the help we could get." Jakuzure said as she went back inside the building, Gamagoori following after.

Ryuko let out a sigh. "That could've gone worse…" She grumbled as she turned back to Uzu. She flushed, realizing that she was still laying on the male and she scrambled to get off of him. She rose to her feet, dusting herself off before she helped Uzu up.

The male nodded toward the door. "Yeah, let's hurry before we get into any more trouble." Uzu said. Ryuko nodded and walked ahead of him, releasing his hand as she walked. Uzu looked down at his hand as he felt Ryuko's hand slip from his grip.

\---

Uzu walked up to Gamagoori, handing the borrowed blade back to the larger man as the others gathered as the exit, waiting to see just what forces they would be dealing with once they got out of the door. "Keep it," Gamagoori said. "Swords are more your thing anyway."

The green haired male nodded, his grip tightening on the handle of the blade. "Thanks then," he mumbled as the doors opened. He and the others stepped out of the building, seeing a horde of Covers had collected outside the headquarters, ready to attack.

"A whole bunch against six? I think I might cry…" Jakuzure grumbled as Uzu felt something whizz past his leg. He looked over, hearing the patter of quick steps followed by the sound of barking. Ryuko looked over as well, her brows raising in surprise. "Ah, that's Guts!" She said, pointing over to the pug that was barking at one of the noticeably larger Covers.

Gamagoori and the others looked over as well. "Could it be?!" The large man asked as he and Ryuko went to move when Iori appeared behind them, pushing along a cannon-like weapon.

"Wait, Gamagoori. You'll need this." Iori called the male. Gamagoori walked over, picking the weapon up. The larger male nodded gratefully as he took the mechanism with him, attaching it to his arm.

"Gamagoori, Ryuko-kun," Aikuro spoke up. "You two get that one, the rest of us will handle the rest of them. When you're done, come to our aid as soon as possible." Aikuro said as he and Tsumugu took off, the both of them in their respective DTR. Nonon followed after them, Satsuki's Bakuzan Koryu in her hand. Uzu followed after the pinkette while Ryuko and Gamagoori moved toward the Covers that Guts was barking at.

The Covers drew back a fist, aiming it for the dog. Ryuko dove for Guts, her arm curling around the pup as she blocked the attack with her scissor blade. Gamagoori then intervened, pressing the cannon-like mechanism against the Covers. He pressed a switch inside the mechanism and the cannon started to whir, spin, and pull on the suit.

Another moment passed and Gamagoori pressed the button again, this time, a person came shooting out the back end of the mechanism. Gamagoori and Ryuko immediately recognized the person with the brown hair in a bob cut.

"Mako!"

"Mankanshoku!"

"She's out!" Iori and Inumuta yelled together over the radio.

"Cloth-form Covers are fed energy from their parent body, the Original Life Fiver, via a linkage thread!" Iori said.

"That’s why we can cause them to shut down if we sever that." Inumuta said.

"However, human-form Covers have swallowed humans to use as energy sources, so they can operate autonomously."

"If we extract the human it’s swallowed, the Cover will shut down without its energy source!"

"Yes!" Inumuta and Iori said together. "We thin out their number and rescue our allies! A weapon combining offense and defense!"

"This is the Emergency Rescue Suction Device!" Gamagoori said before he and Ryuko turned to the brunette, Guts jumping out of Ryuko's arms. "Mankanshoku, are you alright?"

Mako nodded, laughing as Guts leaped into his owner's arms. "Yup! Mako Mankanshoku has returned!" She said and looked around curiously. Mako beamed excitedly, seeing Ryuko not too far. The girl ran over, hugging her friend tightly. "Ryuko-chan! Ryuko-chan!" Mako exclaimed as Uzu and Nonon joined them.

Ryuko chuckled, patting Mako on the back. "Ah, good to see you too, Mako. But I think you should be hugging Gamagoori too. He did save you after all." Ryuko said as the brunette pulled back, her brown eyes wide in surprise.

The brunette turned over to look at Gamagoori. "Eh? Wait, you saved me, Gamagoori-senpai?!" She asked in disbelief as she pulled away from Ryuko, her puppy jumping around at their feet.

Gamagoori nodded, his cheeks flushing red. "Y-Yes. I gave your little brother my word." He told the girl, turning around to avoid looking at the girl. Gamagoori handed Mako a Nudist Beach Uniform. "Here, put this on."

Mako looked down at her body and flushed. "Oh! I'm in my birthday suit!" She said and quickly grabbed the uniform.

Nonon smirked and placed her hands on her hips. "Alright, quit your flirting. If it works, go rescue more people." She spoke up and Uzu had to resist the urge to burst into laughter after seeing Gamagoori's flustered expression.

"I wasn't flirting!" Gamagoori denied all too quickly, a few of Ryuko's snickers passing through her lips as she tried to hide it behind her hand. "We'll talk later…" Gamagoori muttered to the pinkette, a smug smirk crossing onto the girl's lips.

Ryuko grinned and turned to Mako, the brunette struggling to put on the uniform. "Go and hide somewhere safe, Mako." Ryuko said as the brunette finally managed to put on her uniform.

"Alright!" Mako said and headed back for the headquarters. Before the brunette could make it inside, the Covers changed forms, their sleeves resembling harps as they used their ties to run along the strings, creating a horrid screeching noise.

Uzu grit his teeth, he and the others clamping their hands over their ears in hopes of drowning out some of the noise. "What are they doing?!" He grit out.

Angrily and irritatedly, Ryuko turned to the Covers and pointed her blade at them. "Cut out the racket, you bastards!" She yelled, swinging her blade. With one slash, she managed to cut all the Covers, the suits releasing the humans they had used as energy sources before the suits exploded.

"With just one attack?!" Uzu asked in disbelief as he guarded himself from the heat of the explosions.

"She even rescued everyone who was inside the Covers!" Nonon added, the group turning to Ryuko in surprise.

The dark haired girl looked down at her hands in awe, surprised at her own strength even without Senketsu. A giggle was heard, echoing around the immediate area when a copy of Nui appeared before them, the copy made up of the remains of the Covers that were destroyed earlier. Ryuko grit her teeth as the copy appeared in front of her. "Nui Harime!" The dark haired girl growled out.

The copy floated around Ryuko, taunting the girl. "That's it! You should be angry at me! I am the one who killed your father after all!" The girl chirped. Ryuko growled, swinging wildly at the copy and tearing it to shreds.

The remains altered its form and instead created a copy of Ragyo. "That's the way, my daughter." Ragyo said.

Ryuko's eyes widened before narrowing her eyes at the copy. "I'm not your daughter!" Ryuko yelled, slicing repeatedly at the copy.

"Do you hate your mother?" Ragyo taunted. "Do you resent Ragyo?"

Ryuko glared up at the copy. "I'll kill you!" she hissed through grit teeth.

Ragyo smirked in response. "Come then! Let us make Honnouji Academy the place where this mother-daughter feud is put to rest!" She said before she and the copy of Nui disappeared entirely.

"Just you wait… I'm coming for you." Ryuko said as she began walking forward. She stopped short when Uzu grabbed her, stopping her from proceeding.

"Matoi, wait." Uzu said, circling his arm around Ryuko's shoulders and pulling the girl against his chest. She struggled against his grip, only for Uzu to tighten his hold around her to keep her in place.

Ryuko glared up at the green haired male. "Let me go!" She hissed.

"Wait, Ryuko-kun." Aikuro said as he stepped up to the group in his DTR. "It's a trap. It's dangerous to walk into it in a blind rage." He advised her. The dark haired girl frowned at the blue haired teacher, though she lessened how much she struggled.

Uzu tilted his head down toward the girl's. "Don't go after her, that's an order, Matoi. I am still in charge of you, remember?" He grumbled toward the girl.

Mako came around grasping Ryuko's hand. "If it's dangerous, you shouldn't go, Ryuko-chan! Not when it's just you by yourself. You have me, and Senketsu, and all of us! We can help you, Ryuko-chan." Mako said, squeezing her friend's hand. Uzu raised his brows in surprise as he felt Ryuko finally settle in his arms, her head drooping slightly.

"Ah, thanks, Mako." Ryuko said, looking up at Mako. "I appreciate it."

\---

Uzu bit the inside of his cheek contemplatively as he and the others headed for the main room for a meeting. As they reached the door, Uzu stopped and grasped onto Ryuko's hand. The girl looked up at him curiously as he pulled them off to the side.

"Monkey?" Jakuzure called to him.

The green haired male turned his head to the pinkette. "Huh? Oh... Uh, go ahead without us. I just need to talk to Matoi for a second." He said to Jakuzure. Ryuko blinked in confusion as Jakuzure nodded and head into the main room, the automatic doors closing behind her and the others.

Now alone, Uzu turned his attention to Ryuko, his brows knitting together. "What is it?" She inquired.

"Are we going to talk about what happened earlier?" He asked her quietly.

Ryuko's eyes widened in surprise before she turned her head away, avoiding his gaze. When she didn't answer, Uzu let out a deep sigh. "Matoi-" he began.

"Sanageyama, I'm fine, really." She insisted stubbornly.

Uzu frowned at her, his hand gently squeezing around hers. "Really? Because that was really convincing the first time you told me earlier. And you definitely did not almost enter into a blind rage and chase after your _mother_." He hisses at her in a low voice.

Ryuko narrowed her eyes at the male. "Don't test me, _monkey_." She hissed at him through grit teeth. "I'll kick your as-"

"That's fine. If it makes you feel better then that's fine." He grumbled to her. Ryuko looked at him with slight surprise as Uzu continued. "We're in the middle of an important battle right now and keep in mind that I'm still in charge if you, Matoi. I don't need my advisor to be so concerned on internal things that it affects her emotional state and nearly sends her into a blind rage." He frowned at her.

"What I need my advisor to do is to be able to take care of herself! I need her to know that I'm here for her and that she's not alone, all her friends are here for her and that her problems are my problems too." He hissed in a low voice.

The dark haired girl looked at him with surprised blue eyes and Uzu let out a sigh. He squeezed her hand gently, a heavy breath passing through his lips. "I'll ask you one more time, Matoi." He said looking back at her. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, his voice quiet.

A silence passed between them as Ryuko bit her lip. "Even if I did want to talk, I wouldn't even know where to begin." She grumbled in response, breaking the silence between them. She glanced up at Uzu, her brows furrowing. "Let's drop it for now, we have a meeting to go to." She said, her voice low as she nodded her head over to the automatic doors that led to the meeting room where everyone else was.

Uzu let a sigh pass through his lips. "For now." He repeated to her, silently reminding himself that he would ask her again later. Hopefully she'd be more willing to talk next time. He released her hand and the two of them headed into the meeting room.

The doors slid open, a collection of yells entering the pair's ears as they entered the room. Uzu raised his eyebrows curiously. "The hell is going on?" He grumbled to Ryuko as everyone was yelling over each other, it was mostly Gamagoori who was yelling and telling everyone to turn away from the screen.

Ryuko's blue eyes moved over to the screen projection, her eyes widening slightly to see Satsuki on the screen, naked and chained up. "How terrible." Ryuko muttered and Uzu turned to her.

"What? What's going on?" He inquired. Ryuko nodded her head over to the screen.

"It's Satsuki. She's on the screen, she's chained up and naked." Ryuko said, turning her attention to the other worried Elites.

Uzu grit his teeth, turning his attention to the others in the room. "Oi! What the hell is going on?! Why is Lady Satsuki in chains?!" He yelled, grabbing their attention.

Gamagoori turned to the pair, slamming his hand onto the monitor to cover Satsuki's nude form. "There you are! Inumuta hacked into the REVOCS video feed! He found this feed of Lady Satsuki!" Gamagoori yelled back, clearly distraught at having seen their queen in such a condition.

"Well, we have to go get her!" Uzu yelled, hurrying over to Inumuta as Ryuko moved to stand with Mako.

Nonon shot a dirty look over to Uzu. "You don't think we've thought of that already?! Of course we have to go get her!" Nonon yelled.

Inumuta adjusted his glasses, a slightly irritated sigh passing through his lips from the headache he was beginning to form. Had the rest of the Elites never heard of such a thing as an inside voice?

"Everyone needs to calm down, I'm turning up the volume of the video." Inumuta said and the room immediately hushed, their attention turning to the monitor. A low scratching, screeching noise was heard and the Elites all seemed to come to realization at the same time.

A small smirk crossed Aikuro's lips, a light sigh escaping him as he watched the Elites. "I take it now is the time to get the young lady?" He inquired, moving over to the steering wheel in the center of the room. He hit a button close to the wheel, and the room shook, alarming some of the people in the room. "Let's go! Great Naked Sun!" Aikuro yelled as the room and the base transformed into a large ship.

"Why is it naked?!"

\---

Uzu turned his attention towards the courtyard where Ryuko had engaged in battle with Nui. Behind him, Nonon handed Satsuki a cloak to cover herself up with. "Matoi!" Uzu yelled to the dark haired girl. "Matoi, it's time to go!" He yelled as he and the others boarded back into the helicopter, piloted by Tsumugu.

Ryuko turned to them once she had knocked Nui back. "Right!" She called back, turning her attention back to Nui. She blocked the blonde's attack, knocking her back once again before she turned on her heel. She kept her eye on the helicopter, dodging Covers as she headed towards their general direction.

"We have to get her!" Uzu yelled to Tsumugu.

The dark haired male frowned. "I know that!" Tsumugu said as he lowered the helicopter low enough to the ground that Ryuko could reach them. Ryuko jumped off one of the Covers, using it as a step stool as she jumped up toward the helicopter, her hand clasping around Uzu's as he held his hand out to help her. 

He pulled her into the helicopter as Tsumugu pulled up, ready to head back towards the ship. Uzu let out a sigh as he patted Ryuko on the back.

A choked gasp passed through Ryuko's as she was suddenly jerked back and fell out of the helicopter, her hand slipping from Uzu's. "Matoi!" Uzu yelled to her, reaching for her again. She tried to reach for him only to find that her limbs wouldn't move. She looked to her arms, her eyes widening upon seeing red threads from her arms.

"Matoi!!" Uzu yelled again, Ryuko turning her attention back to the helicopter that seemed to be getting further and further from her. She let out another gasp as she suddenly felt herself landing on the floor, albeit gently. She landed on her feet and a pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders.

The dark haired girl turned around to see Nui, the petite girl's arms wrapping around her shoulders. Nui smiled at Ryuko, her finger gently plucking at the red threads from her arms. "Neat trick, huh, Ryuko-chan?" Nui chirped, plucking at the threads.

Ryuko glared at the blonde. "You-" she growled.

"I put these in you during our battle! You're not getting away now!" Nui said. Ryuko directed her attention to a bright light, her blue eyes landing on Junketsu. The dark haired girl gasped as she was suddenly lifted into the air, Senketsu right across from her. Ryuko flushed as her uniform was suddenly ripped from her body, Junketsu moving closer to her before the white Kamui put itself on Ryuko.

"Matoi! Matoi!!" Uzu yelled before he turned back to Tsumugu. "We have to go back and get her!" Uzu yelled. The group yelled in surprise as the helicopter shook violently, nearly knocking it off its course.

"What's going on?!" Gamagoori yelled as the group struggled to stay within the helicopter. Tsumugu and the others turned their attention outside the helicopter to see Covers flying after them.

Tsumugu grit his teeth, firing at the Covers to keep them at bay. "It's too dangerous! We'll have to go back!" He said as he redirected the helicopter back in the direction of headquarters.

Uzu grit his teeth, glancing over his shoulder to look at Honnouji. "No need to worry." Satsuki reassured as she turned to the green haired male. "We'll get her back, Sanageyama."

\---

Satsuki spared a glance over towards Uzu, watching the way that the green haired male walked with his brows furrowed as though he were contemplating something. _More than likely, it's Matoi that's on his mind..._ , Satsuki thought with a hidden, amused smile.

"Sanageyama," Satsuki called, pulling the green haired male's attention to her. "You seem to be deep In thought. Are you thinking about something?" She inquired as they walked down the hall, heading towards their destination.

Uzu bit his lip and nodded. Satsuki let a small smile slip onto her lips. "Would I be correct in guessing that you were thinking about Matoi?" The green haired male nodded, turning to Satsuki in a slight surprise.

Satsuki turned her attention away from Sanageyama as they found themselves before the room where Iori and Inumuta were working. They stopped in front of the door and Satsuki turned to the green haired male. "You've gotten quite attached to her." Satsuki pointed out, Uzu flushing at her implications.

The male opened his mouth to reply when the ship shook suddenly, Uzu and Satsuki needing to lean against the nearby wall for support. Uzu turned his attention to the ceiling, his brows furrowing.

"Go check what's going on above, I need to check on something with Iori." Satsuki ordered as she entered the room. Uzu nodded and hurried back down the hall, hurrying back up to the main deck. He burst through the door, his brows raising in alarm as he came out onto the deck, a familiar voice entering his ears.

"I’ll smash you! I'll smash you all!" Ryuko yelled, a smirk on her lips.

"Matoi..." Uzu murmured in disbelief.

 

TBC.


End file.
